#11/2017
Daddy has built the next big one from his to-do list. Because there are a lot of D-Day striped Dakota models out there, I convinced him to do a PTO aircraft.
Revell Germany kit (Berlin airlift) with North Star Models decals. They came without US insignias (and the kit only included post-war ones), took them from a Monogram B-24 kit.
The kit shows it´s age, the moulds are from the same year as I , fit, especially the windscreen and landing light covers aren´t good, moulding quality is mostly still ok.
Regarding the windscreen, as mentioned bad fit and tricky to install, my dad decided to cut away the bigger side windows and use some clear plastic pieces to display open windows.
Added brake lines with lead wire, aerials are done with elastic thread/EZ Line. Painted with Gunze and Tamiya acrylics.
The model shows an a/c of 55th TCS, 375th TCG in 1944 in the PTO.

The “Bismarck” was the first of two Bismarck-class battleships built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the primary force behind theunification of Germany in 1871, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched in February 1939. Work was completed in August 1940, when she was commissioned into the German fleet. Bismarck and her sister ship Tirpitz were the largest battleships ever built by Germany, and two of the largest built by any European power.
In the course of the warship's eight-month career under its sole commanding officer, Capt. Ernst Lindemann, Bismarck conducted only one offensive operation, in May 1941, codenamed Rheinübung. The ship, along with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, was to break into the Atlantic Ocean and raid Allied shipping from North America to Great Britain. The two ships were detected several times off Scandinavia, and British naval units were deployed to block their route. At the Battle of the Denmark Strait, Bismarck engaged and destroyed the battlecruiser HMS Hood, the pride of the Royal Navy, and forced the battleship HMS Prince of Wales to retreat; Bismarck was hit three times and suffered an oil leak from a ruptured tank.
The destruction of Hood spurred a relentless pursuit by the Royal Navy involving dozens of warships. Two days later, while heading for the relative safety of occupied France,Bismarck was attacked by obsolescent Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo bombers from the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal; one scored a hit that rendered the battleship's steering gear inoperable. In her final battle the following morning, Bismarck was neutralised by a sustained bombardment from a British fleet, was scuttled by her crew, and sank with heavy loss of life. Most experts agree that the battle damage would have caused her to sink eventually. The wreck was located in June 1989 by Robert Ballard, and has since been further surveyed by several other expeditions.
(source: www.wikipedia.com)
1/200 - Trumpeter's big Bismarck
Several time ago, Trumpeter released the Bismarck as 2nd kit in their big 1/200 scale series (after the USS Arizona). Later, several more kits were released until today, and more future kits were expected. The kit of the Bismarck consists of more then 1.700 parts, 13 plates of PE-parts. The total length will be about 125cm.
I already built one of the big Trumpeter kits with the additional parts by KA Models / MK.1 design (and more) several time ago.
This time… I will do it in a different way....
First of all… what parts will be used to build the Bismarck as detailed as possible? This time… I will use the big “Advanced set” by Pontos Models which includes a lasered wooden deck, 318 turned brass parts, turned gun barrels for all guns on deck, 15 plates of PE-Parts, 27 resin parts, 25 life rings, dry transfer decals. Additionally used are some resin parts by CMK which were very high detailed. Further PE-Parts by Modellschlachtschiffe.de (which I still have on my stock from last Bismarck project). Fabric flags and EZ-line for rigging, decals for the big markings on the deck by Blue Ridge Models, and the wonderful 3D figues by North Star Models.
Brass lamp risers for the display of the kit are ordered and needed before starting the project finally. Right now I am waiting for these to start the project.
The painting of the kit will be done mostly with colors by Lifecolor in the camouflage 1941 scheme with the white/black stripes and the painted waves at the bow/stern. Weathering will be done with several oil colors, pigments, and other stuff.
I hope that you would like this new project and that it will be of interest for you!
Starting soon, as soon as the parts for the display arrived! I think it will become a long lasting project again..... and a lot of patience
Cheers. Michael